Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, a top U.S. military official at NATO, has been fired as the Trump administration continues its widespread removal of senior uniformed officers, according to multiple U.S. and European officials.
It’s unclear whether the firing originated from the Pentagon or the White House, which last week removed several national security officials — including Gen. Timothy Haugh, head of the NSA and Cyber Command — after President Donald Trump met with far-right activist Laura Loomer.
Loomer later took credit for Haugh’s dismissal in a post on the social media platform X.
Chatfield served as America’s representative to the NATO Military Committee, the alliance’s group of top uniformed officials. The body advises NATO’s two most senior military leaders and helps guide long-term strategy.
Brig. Gen. Sean Flynn, the deputy representative, will serve on an acting basis until a successor is named, said a U.S. official, like others, permitted to speak on background to discuss the removal.
Chatfield was previously the first woman to lead the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. Her tenure there later made her a target of conservative advocacy groups, one of whom claimed she was overly concerned with diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives in a December letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The Pentagon did not respond to questions about why Chatfield was fired, who made the decision and whether other officers were affected. Reuters first reported Chatfield’s firing.
In its opening months, the Trump administration has overseen the swift removal of officers at the top of the U.S. military, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, and the Air Force’s Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Jim Slife.
So far, the firings have prompted public criticism from mostly Democrats in Congress, though lawmakers from both parties called Brown’s firing “unfortunate” last week at a confirmation hearing for retired Gen. Dan Caine, Trump’s pick for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The removal of a senior U.S. officer in NATO concerned multiple European defense officials, who worry America is retreating from its role in the alliance. Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the head of European Command and Supreme Allied Commander-Europe, is set to retire this summer.
Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.
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